With some loose ends finally tied up...final 2004 A-League disciplinary points totalled (Step forward Puerto Rico narrowly beating out Seattle for the bad-boy prize, Richmond get the goody-two-shoes medal!), the Timbers stats and the City of Portland Timbers attendance numbers all tied together for 2004 (if you don't know the link and want it, email me!).

Late as usual but lovingly crafted nevertheless the timberlog match report from Wednesday's game against Seattle.

Seems like old news with everyone looking northwards for Sunday's return match but a few notes anyway:

Personally I thought ref Nathan Lacy did a good job in a game he knew was going to be "closely fought". I was a bit surprised (and felt bad for him) that he got such a bad reception as he and his fellow officials left the field at half time. Looking at the referee records he seems to have officiated mostly in lower division games in Utah in recent years, but I thought he did a good job.

I'm pretty sure the Ben Somoza "backpass" to Burpo was unintentional. He seemed to be looking too hook it away and seriously sliced it back to the Seattle keeper.

Much is made about the fact that Byron Alvarez tops the A-League foul table, but I'd bet that most of those are for pretty minor offences. In fact in terms of cards ( 4 yellow and a red) Byron is well behind most of the other players in that table proving that fact. Byron knows that the more chances that he makes for himself during a game, by nibbling at the defenders heels, twisting and ducking etc, the more goal chances and the more goals he'll get. It's what a forward does...or should do.

Gazidis on Expansion and MLS Reserve League - A while back I posted that the comment from the USL was that "we feel strongly that if MLS commits to reserve teams in '05 that the most effective and economical means of doing so would be to incorporate them into the existing structure of the Pro Soccer League or PDL"

...for putting forward the idea of taking a wrecking ball to PGE Park in order to redevelop the land and shift $13 million in hotel and car taxes now used to pay off stadium renovation debt to the big-league slush fund.

Even given a 3 or 4 year grace period while a MLB team play at PGE Park while a stadium is built, the WWeek points out the "roguishness" of such a move.

"We've played, I would say, poorly the last two games and we still haven't lost," (Gavin) Wilkinson said. "We are hard to beat. People come here (to PGE Park) and, honestly, they expect to lose. And that's the correct mentality, because they probably will."

Calling tonight's game between the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders the most important game in the club's A-league history is no exaggeration.

Even though the team have made the playoffs in 3 out of 4 seasons, this time the stakes are higher. The Timbers have finished the regular season with the best overall record and are out to prove that they can continue that form into a 2-leg playoff format. This season almost everything has converged to this point. The passionate fans have attracted more core support, attendances have risen again after last seasons fall and the the best team put on the field since joining the A-League have pulled through a loss of form in mid season to finish with a 10 game unbeaten run.

Nicely avoiding Vancouver in the quarterfinals (who more times than not seem to have the edge over the Timbers especially at Swangard Stadium), the Timbers play a Seattle side who they have a 3-1-0 record over this year.

This is a game with a real "cup atmosphere" as both teams know each other well and players on both sides have played for both clubs in the past few years (Ben Somoza gets the Seattle P.I treatment this morning as he looks to help the Sounders put one over on the club that released him in 2003)

If the Timbers avoid injuries and red cards, get early goals through Alan Gordon and Byron Alvarez and don't have to rely on a 78' Fadi Afash substitution (exciting though it is!) they should win through to meet either Vancouver or Minnesota next week.